dagblog - Comments for "States Going to Pot or Pot Going to States or... Something"

I saw Nate's data. I think

DF — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 23:09:21 +0000

In reply to For some reason, this slipped

I saw Nate's data. I think it's probably fair to say that the political initiative on this isn't going to come from up top. The CSA, with the backing of the Supremacy Clause, has been the justification for continuing to send out DEA agents to roll dispensaries in California. Holder issuing the stand-down order is basically just federal law enforcement joining the ranks of state and local law enforcement that have been sort of willfully ignoring dispensaries. From a political stand-point, it makes a lot of sense.

Though Nate's data is encouraging, I think that we have to get a bit further along this trend in order to see positive action at the federal level.

For some reason, this slipped

acanuck — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 23:01:44 +0000

In reply to With everything else on his

For some reason, this slipped my mind:

http://www.fivethirtyeight.com/2009/02/americans-growing-kinder-to-bud.html

And note that's approval for actual legalization, not just decriminalization.

With everything else on his

acanuck — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 22:59:10 +0000

In reply to States Going to Pot or Pot Going to States or... Something

With everything else on his plate, I doubt the president is going to spend political capital to change the law. For now, Holder's signaling of the change in enforcement priorities should do the trick.

Canada has had legalized medical marijuana for eight years now. At first, the government tried to limit the supply to a single federally approved contractor, but the product was so predictably crappy they were forced to let users designate their own local suppliers.

Still, the law said each one could supply only three patients at any one time. Courts have now struck down that restriction as unconstitutionally arbitrary, so some experienced growers (especially in B.C.) plan to go legit, pay their business and sales tax, and compete for the medical market. Bottom line: Canadians will soon have access to the very best medical pot in the world.

Which reminds me, I'm getting the munchies.